Coopers Mild Ale

Today I thought, for the sake of variety, to review a mid-strength beer, just for shits and giggles (I never really find myself in the circumstance where a mid-strength beer is warranted). That mid-strength is from Australia’s largest family owned brewery (and an old favourite of mine): Coopers!

Poured from a 375ml stubbie into a Guinness pint glass.

A: The Ale presents as a pleasing cloudy light orange body with a white head that leaves less than a centimetre of head. It appears as though there is some bubbly action working within the sediment clouding and I’m expecting some of that “champagne” yeast fizz that most of the Cooper’s Ales have. 6/10.

S: Grain malts, a slight hint of grassy hops and that expected starchy yeast smell… no surprises – essentially a lighter version of the Pale Ale (which itself is a lighter version of the sparkling Ale). 6/10.

T: The grain malts upfront are backed up by some zesty citrus hops and finished with mild dryness… actually I was drinking some Cooper’s Pale Ale last night and I’m curious if I could even tell the difference between the two in a blindfold taste test… [err, aside from the greater malt character in this brew and the obvious ABV difference]. 7/10.

M: Champagne yeast fizz makes the mouth feel more like it’s drinking a Lager than an Ale and if it weren’t for the flavour profile they would have difficulty distinguishing this as an Ale. 3/10.

D: Well it’s certainly not bad, and as a mid-strength it’s a good beer to have if you’re the designated driver, but for me it’s lacking the flavour complexity I crave in a great beer. Oh and it would be a bit more interesting if it wasn’t so damn similar to the Pale Ale. Please note the drinkability score for me comes more down to the fact that I have little use for mid-strengths more than anything else – for I am the antimidstrength! 2/10.

Food match: In fact I’m going to recommend the exact same food I recommended for the Pale Ale; Grilled chicken or fish with a light salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar, maybe calamari or other seafood (crab, lobster).